HORREBOW (Niels). Nouvelle description physique, historique, civile et politique de l'Islande, avec des observations critiques sur l'histoire naturelle de cette isle, given by M. Anderson. Paris, Charpentier, 1764. 2 volumes in-12, red morocco, triple gilt fillet, coat of arms in the centre, spine decorated, inner lace, gilt edges, slipcase (period binding). First French edition of this "rare and curious work" (Chadenat), illustrated with a large fold-out map of Iceland engraved on copper by Perrié. This natural history of Iceland, which also contains interesting passages on native customs, was published in Danish by Niels Horrebow (1712-1760) in 1752, then translated into German, Dutch, English and French. The French translation is attributed to Rousselot de Surgy and Meslin. A magnificent and precious copy in red morocco bearing the arms of the Countess of Artois. It was in 1773, at Versailles, that Marie-Thérèse of Savoy (1756-1805), third daughter of Victor-Amédée III, Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia, and the Infanta Marie-Antoinette of Spain, married the Count d'Artois, second brother of Louis XVI who became King himself in 1824 under the name of Charles X. However, the Countess d'Artois died before her husband's coronation, in exile in Graz, leaving two sons, the Duc d'Angoulême and the Duc de Berry. "Her library, built up by Félix Nogaret, her secretary, was one of the most important of the time; the books were generally bound in red morocco with no other decoration than a triple fillet" (OHR). The copy is quoted by Quentin-Bauchart from the Bulletin de la Librairie Morgand (1876, n°9). It belonged to the Harry Vane Milbank library, with ex-libris stamp dated 1878. Chadenat, n°5223 - Boucher de La Richarderie, I, 393 - OHR, 2551 - Quentin-Bauchart, II, 350, n°102.